Fruit-gatherer.



PATENTED JULY 7, 1903. E. E. BENNETT & A. G. ALLEN.

FRUIT GATHBRER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

Witwmo J No. 733,128. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903. E. B. BENNETT & A. C.ALLEN.

FRUIT GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Ne. vsaias.

UNITED STATES Fatented July 7. 1905s.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER ELLSWORTH BENNETT AND ARTHUR CHAMBERS ALLEN, OF BOWLING GREEN,KENTUCKY.

FRUlT-GATHERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,128, dated July '7,1903.

Application filed February 10, 1903- Serial No, 14 (N0 11105619 T0 atwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ELMER ELLSWORTH BENNETT and ARTHUR CHAMBERSALLEN,citi-,

zens of the United States, residing at Bowling Green, in the county ofWarren and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Frnit- Gatherers; and we do declare the following to bea full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to fruit-gatherers, and has for'its object theproduction of an apparatus by means of which the operator may hoist orlower himself and at the same time move the basket or carriage in whichhe is suspended either toward or from a central support or circularlyinto the position most advantageous to reach and gather fruit from atree.

A further object of our invention is to provide weight bearing andtransporting devices as part of the apparatus and means for actuatingthe weight toward or from the central support in correspondence with thehorizontal movement of the basket containing the operator in order tobalance his weight and prevent the apparatus from tilting.

A still further object is to supply devices for extending and levelingthe base or platform.

We accomplish the objects stated by constructin g and assembling theparts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is aside View of our invention as a whole. Fig. 2 represents an edge view ofthe main sprocket-wheel and a vertical section of the rack, pinion, andhousing thereof for moving the basket horizontally. Fig. 3 is an endview of the truck bearing the balance-weight and a cross-section of oneform of track for supporting and guiding the truck. Fig. i is a top planview of the turn-table. Fig. 5 is a top plan of the platform of theapparatus, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the platform from below.

In Figs. 5 and (3 are shown the extensible arms of the platform, bymeans of which the base of support of the whole is enlarged, ashereinafter described.

Like numbers designate like parts in the several views.

Considering the drawings, numeral 1 marks suitable truck-Wheels,supporting the apparatus and allowing it to be drawn from place to placeby means of the tongue 1 and by hand or horse power.

Numeral 2 designates the platform, of any desired shape, usuallycircular, (see Figs. 4,5, and 6,) and radially-projecting beams or arms3 are secured to the lower surface of the platform at quadrantal points.Below the fixed arms are placed extension-arms 4, sliding outwardly andinwardly through links 5, which are attached to the fixed arms andembrace also the movable arms. At the outer extremity of eachextension-arm 4B is a vertically-disposed geared bar 6, having apresserfoot 7. The geared bar passes through a passage 7 in the arm (seeFig. 1) and may be raised or lowered by the engaged pinion 8, fixed on atransverse shaft 9 and turned by the detachable hand-crank 10. Theoffice of extension-arms i is to extend the base of the apparatus, andthe purpose of the vertical geared bars 6 and their feet is to enablethe platform to be leveled with its base extended, as stated, whatevermay be the inequalities of the ground surface directly beneath the endsof arms 4that is to say, one bar may need to be run down farther thananother to press upon the ground beneath and keep a level platform,because the ground is lower at that point. To hold the bar down with itsfoot pressing against the earth, we provide a ratchet- Wheel 11 and pawl12, as shown in Fig. 1. WVe do not, however, confine ourselves to thedevices described for raising and lowering or securing the verticalbars.

On the upper surface of platform 2 is fixed the geared circle 13, andengaging it is a pinion 14: on a short shaft 15, journaled on the lowersurface of the turn-table 16. The turntable is supported by a series ofrollers or wheels 17, which run upon the platform, and a center pin 18,passing through turn-table and platform, constitutes the center ofrotation and keeps the two parts together. It

will be noted in Fig. at that the shaft 'is provided with a rope drum orpulley 19, and this drum will be again referred to.

Number designates the mast or center pole, usually a built-up spar ofvery strong construction and fastened securely to the middle of theturn-table. Suitably-inclined braces 2l, in any number, also connect themast with the turn-table and reinforce its rigidity. A track-boom 22 hasone end fastened to the mast, from which it projects outwardly at rightangles, its outer end being supported by the stay 23, incliningdownwardly and outwardly from the mast-head. Boom 22 therefore swingsaround with the turn-table and mast. The top of the boom affords agrooved track on which a small truck 24 runs out and back from mast 20and bears the balance-weight 25 of any necessary amount, depending onthe weight of the customary operator. To the outer end of thebalance-truck 24 a cable 26 is attached, and it extends thence aroundthe grooved pulley 27 in the outermost end of the boom 22 and horizontally back to the foot of the mast. Then it passes around anothergrooved pulley 28 and takes a vertical direction up the mast until itreaches a third grooved pulley 29, from which it takes again ahorizontal direction and is finally secured to housing 30. Housing 30 isa movable part. It slides out and in with respect to the mast and issupported by the upper boom 31, projecting at right angles near the topof the mast in substantially the same vertical plane with the lower boom22. An inclined stay 32 joins the mast-head and top of boom 31. Alongthe uppersurface of boom 31 a geared rack 33 is fixed, and a pinion 34:within the housing (see Fig. 2) engages the rack. The pinion is turnedby the sprocket-wheel 35 on same shaft 36 with the pinion, and it isthought to be clear that the housing may be thus moved toward or fromthe mast on the boom. In Fig. 1 it will be noted that a cable 37, havingone end secured to the housing, leads about a grooved pulley 38 at theextremity of boom 31, thence back to the mast horizontally, aroundpulley 39, and vertically downward, where after turning about pulley 40at the foot of the mast the cable 37 is led toward and fastened to theinner end of the balance-weight truck 24. By means of the arrangement ofpulleys and cables described the housing and balance-weight truck aremoved from and to the mast together, and the weight of the operator, whostands in basket ll, suspended from housing 30 by block 42 and tackle43, is compensated on the opposite side of the mast whatever may be hisdistance from the mast. Sprocket-chain 44 turns sprocketwheel 35, andconsequently pinion 3st, thereby moviug the housing in or out, and theoperator raises and lowers himself by the blocks and tackle. \Ve do notlimit ourselves to the peculiar form of basket and tackle shown, but maymodify such forms when desired.

We intend that the operator shall be able without needless exertion toraise or lower himself and move his position outwardly or inwardly toreach the fruit growing on a tree or to move himself in a circulardirection. The hoisting and radially-moving mechanisms we havedescribed. To rotate the turntable and change his place circularly, hedraws upon the cord 45, which takes a turn or two about drum 19, abovementioned, and is passed through eyes 46 and 47, attached to the basket,through the double block 48, hanging from the housing, as shown, and itsterminal loop engages the grooved pulley 49, to which is attached weight50. Cord is led to the basket to be always in reach of the operatorwhether he is out orin on the boom 31, and the weight50 keeps the cordalways taut. The terminal loop of the cord, which engages pulley 49, isobviously longest when the housing is near the mast and shortest when itapproaches the tip of the boom. By drawingon cord 45 the operator turnsdrum l9, and consequently pinion 14, either way at will, and theengagement of the pinion and the circular gear 13 of platform 2 actuatesthe turn-.

table.

WVe are aware that derricks and cranes have been constructed havingextended ways for traveling balance-weights moved toward or from thecentral support in correspondence with the position of the load, and wedo not claim that feature.

What we claim is' 1. In a fruit gatherer, the combination of aplatform,a mast erected thereon,a track-boom projecting near the foot ofthe mast, a weighted truck movable upon said track-boom, an upper boomprojecting near the head of the mast, a housing movable along the saidupper boom, cables connecting said housing and truck and pulleysdirecting the cables whereby movement of the housing along the upperboom correspondingly actuates the said truck along the track boom, abasket, hoistingtackle and devices suspending the basket from saidhousing and arranged to be operated by the occupant of the basket,mechan ism constructed and arranged to move the said housing along theupper boom,and means accessible to the occupant of said basket in anyposition of the basket adapted to operate and control saidhousing-moving mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a fruit-gatherer, the combination of a platform havingextension-arms, vertical leveling-bars located at the outer ends of thesaid arms, devices for adjusting and securing the vertical bars, a masterected on the said platform, a track-boom projecting near the foot ofthe mast,a weighted truck movable upon said track-boom, an upper boomprojecting near the head of the mast, a housing movable along the saidupper boom, cables connecting said housing and truck and pulleysdirecting the cables whereby movement of the housing along the upperboom correspondingly actuates the said truck along the track boom, abasket, hoisting tackle and devices suspending the basket from saidhousing and arranged to be operated by the occupant of the basket,mechanism constructed and arranged to move the said housing along theupper boom, and means accessible to the occupant of said basket in anyposition of the basket adapted to'operate and control saidhousing-moving mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a fruit-gatherer, the combination of a platform and means forleveling it, a turntable on said platform, a mast erected on the saidturn-table, a suspended basket, hoistingtackle and devices arranged tobe operated by the occupant of said basket for raising and lowering thebasket, mechanism operated and controlled from the basket adapted tomove it toward or from said mast, turn-tablerotating devices, andextensible connections constructed to actuate the saidturn-table-rotating devices from any position of the basket,substantially as described.

l. In a fruit-gatherer, the combination of a platform havingextension-arms, vertical levcling-bars located at the outer ends of thesaid arms, devices for adjusting and securing the vertical bars, aturn-table on said platform, a mast erected on said turn-table, a

track-boom projecting near the foot of the mast, a weighted truckmovable upon said track-boom, an upper boom projecting near the head ofthe mast, ahousing movable along said upper boom, cables connecting saidhousing and truck and pulleys directing the cables whereby movement ofthe housing along the upper boom correspondingly actuates the said truckalong the track-boom, a basket, hoisting-tackle and devices suspendingthe basket from said housing and arranged to be operated by the occupantof the basket, mechanism constructed and arranged to move the saidhousing along the upper boom, means accessible to the occupant of saidbasket in any position of the basket adapted to operate and control saidhousing-moving mechanism, turn-tablerotating devices, and extensibleconnections constructed to actuate the said turn-table-rotating devicesfrom any position of the basket, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ELlllER ELLSWORTH BENNETTA ARTHUR CHAMBERS ALLEN.

Witnesses:

.7110. H. BLACKBURN, F. D. REARDoN.

